Why Your Body Evolves Diseases

Evolutionary medicine asks why humans evolved bodies so susceptible to illness. Instead of just studying how a disease works, it explores how our evolutionary history left us vulnerable to specific modern health struggles.

Most medicine focuses on the mechanics of an injury or infection, but this field looks at the deeper logic of human biology. It asks why natural selection didn't simply design a perfect, disease-free body over millions of years. Scientists have found that many symptoms, like fevers, are actually protective defense mechanisms that evolved to keep us alive. By understanding our history, doctors can better treat conditions like cancer and autoimmune disorders.